A California Air National Guard Chinook helicopter returns to the Weed Airport after dropping off search and rescue personnel on a snow field near The Summit of Mt. Shasta near Weed, Calif. Rangers found the body of 26-year-old Thomas Bennett of Oakland in a snow cave where his friend had left him before going for help, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said. Rescuers had been trying to reach Bennett since his climbing partner Mark Thomas, 26, of Berkeley, called 911 Sunday to report that Bennett had collapsed near the summit. The two experienced climbers were trapped Saturday night by severe winds.

Photo: Andreas Fuhrmann, AP

A California Air National Guard Chinook helicopter returns to the...

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This undated family photo provided by the Siskiyou County Sheriff's office shows 26-year-old Thomas Bennett. A rescue team on Thursday, April 1, 2010, recovered Bennett's body near the summit of Mount Shasta in a snow cave where his friend had left him before going for help, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said. Thomas said he left Bennett with water, candy bars and granola and was able to show authorities Bennett's location on a map.

Photo: AP

This undated family photo provided by the Siskiyou County Sheriff's...

During the aftermath of Tom Bennett's passing on Mount Shasta ("Climber tells of doomed descent," April 2), the media greatly added to the anguish and suffering of myself and Tom's family and friends through their eagerness to print or broadcast a story regardless of the accuracy of the facts or the appropriateness of the source.

When I first made it off the mountain, the only thing I had to share with reporters was that I would speak with them at a later time. I said that first I wanted to notify Tom's family and friends personally so that they didn't first hear about Tom's misfortune on the nightly news or the morning paper. I also wanted to make sure I didn't say anything in a way that might be insensitive to Tom's loved ones and wanted to wait until I could speak appropriately about Tom and Mount Shasta in regard to their feelings and privacy.

Reporters responded by making up their own story since I wouldn't share mine on their terms.

Although there were a lot of "bad apples" out there, The Chronicle's Justin Berton was willing to wait until I was ready to talk. He was willing to talk with me on my terms without making demands for details or photo/video for a sensational story. He was respectful and sincere in how he went about contacting me and writing the article. He focused on reporting the story accurately and on a personal level, rather than sensationalizing it.

In talking to reporters I absolutely did not want to aid in sensationalizing the events of that weekend out of respect for Tom's memory and my feelings about climbing in the mountains.

There are a lot of misperceptions in the general public about climbing, and I did not want to inadvertently contribute to them. Not only did Berton's story accomplish this, but I felt that his writing and the prominence given to the article in your paper did much to counteract the ugliness and misinformation built up by the earlier reports, and for this I am grateful.

It seems to me that many reporters get credit for being the first or the loudest in telling a story, and I think these are the wrong incentives to have in reporting. Berton should be commended for the job he did. He should get credit for waiting and producing a quality story with great sensitivity.

Mountain's danger

As a longtime resident of Mount Shasta and an outdoorsman, I can attest to the beauty of Mount Shasta. The dark side is that dozens of bodies are on the mountain in an "unrecoverable state."

The beauty of Mount Shasta is always overshadowed by the viciousness of Mother Nature and her disregard for human life. It is my hope that you "city slickers" will take into account the two seasoned climbers and the tragedy that befell them. You never beat this mountain, you only survive it.

Cutting Caltrain service will hurt Bay Area's economy

If Caltrain service is eliminated or severely cut, it will cost millions of dollars in lost business revenue, sales, and other taxes. The region cannot afford to lose the jobs Caltrain provides.

The loss of Caltrain service will lead to fewer people attending events at HP Pavilion, the San Jose Convention Center, AT&T Park, Moscone Center, performing arts centers from San Jose to San Francisco, festivals in every city on the train line. This will cost jobs at the venues and surrounding businesses, resulting in losses in the tax revenue these businesses generate and the jobs they provide.

Caltrain serves Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco counties. All three counties must provide emergency short-term funding to maintain Caltrain service. The Joint Powers Board that manages Caltrain must work with the counties to find the funding now and begin creating a dedicated funding source. Other transportation agencies such as VTA, AC Transit, BART and SamTrans have dedicated sales or property tax funding to support their operations. Caltrain must have permanent funding as well. We need to keep this vital link between Gilroy and San Francisco operating at a level that meets the needs of our community.